


It's dark one inch ahead of you

by korisnik



Category: Gintama
Genre: Class 3-Z Ginpachi-sensei, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-18
Updated: 2019-02-18
Packaged: 2019-10-31 03:50:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,032
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17841902
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/korisnik/pseuds/korisnik
Summary: A glimpse of Bansai and Takasugi's life after they graduate from high school. Set in 3-Z universe.





	It's dark one inch ahead of you

**Author's Note:**

  * For [grievingcain](https://archiveofourown.org/users/grievingcain/gifts).



> A gift for @grievingcain's birthday.
> 
> Some details to explain the setting that I couldn't infodump anywhere in the story - Bansai is from Kumamoto and he got into a high school in Tokyo to increase his chances of becoming a succesful musician. He lived by himself in a 1K apartment until his third year of high school, when Takasugi got into a fight with his dad, got kicked out of his house and moved in with Bansai. They've been living together since.
> 
> All comments/criticisms/grammar corrections/etc are welcome. I'm @demonsoldiers on tumblr and @oniheitai on twitter.

  
Takasugi was startled by the sound of the front door shutting. He attempted to sit up and something slid from his lap and hit the floor with the thud. He groggily blinked at his textbook on the floor. He must've dozed off while studying on the bed. There was a click of the light switch and Takasugi squinted at the intruder.

"How was your gig?" he asked, his voice hoarse from sleep.

"It was amazing," Bansai's expression lit up, and he moved to sit on the edge of the bed. "The sound was exquisite and the venue was bursting with this wild, untamed energy. I'm so sorry you had to miss out on it."

  
Bansai smelled of sweat, beer and cigarettes and it triggered a harsh pang of jealousy in Takasugi. He knew it wouldn't suit him at all, but for a moment he regretted all those times in high school he refused to join Bansai's band.

"Go shower," he said, running his hand down Bansai's arm. "All that wild, untamed energy stinks."

=*=

Takasugi never thought he'd end up being a university student. Ironically, it was precisely because he never filled out his future career plan form that he found himself in the teacher's lounge one sunny day during his third year of high school, staring down his homeroom teacher Sakata Ginpachi, refusing to budge while his teacher sat across him, holding a small piece of white paper in his outstretched hand.

"Go on, take it. My old university professor has this program that helps pay tuition for students that can't afford university. I told him about you and he'd like to meet with you at this location and discuss your options." Ginpachi pulled a lollipop out of his mouth and gestured at Takasugi. "That _is_  why you left your form blank, right? Because you can't afford university? I know you, Takasugi, and your grades are not nearly as bad as you like to pretend they are. Actually, I'd even say you're pretty smart. So surely you wouldn't do something stupid like ruin your future just to spite your father or something like that, right?"

Takasugi scowled and crossed his arms. "This has nothing to do with my father." He was telling the truth. It really didn't. Takasugi couldn't care less about him. It's not like he _wanted_  to be this way. It all just seemed so pointless to him. He envied people that had dreams, and goals, and aspirations. They saw something in life that he couldn't.

"Fine then," Ginpachi leaned back in his chair, "you don't have to go for your sake. Go for Kijima's sake."

"Matako?"

"Did you think your actions only influence your own life? She left her form blank, too. I already talked to her. She thinks all of this is stupid and doesn't see any meaning in it. I wonder who she got that idea from. She doesn’t want to see the professor, either, but I bet if you went to meet him..."  
Takasugi bit his lip. He told himself it wasn't any of his business what other people did with their life.

Ginpachi sighed. "And then there's Kawakami. You left your home and you're living with him now, right? Do you think he can financially support you while he's working hard on his career path of being a..." Ginpachi grabbed a pile of filled out career plans and fished out Bansai's form, frowning at it. "A... a rock star? That's not a real job! Did an elementary school kid fill this out?"

Takasugi swallowed. "What about Henpeita?"

"Huh? Who? Oh, that guy." Ginpachi shrugged. "Yeah, he'll be fine, I guess."

"You're a terrible homeroom teacher," Takasugi said, standing up. He grabbed the small piece of paper with the name "Yoshida Shouyou", an address and a phone number scribbled on it. Didn't this guy have a business card? "Fine, I'm going. But only as a backup because I don't want Matako to be alone with some creepy middle aged weirdo."

"Fine by me."

Takasugi moved to leave the teacher's lounge and was already halfway through shutting the door when he turned to face Ginpachi, "Oh, and by the way, when Bansai becomes famous and you're down on your luck, living in a cardboard box because you got fired when they finally realized you're not fit to be around children - when all that happens, if you send any letters asking your old student for an autograph so you can resell it and fund your disgusting sweets addiction, I will personally make sure he never signs anything for you."

And with that, he slammed the door behind him and ran down the hallway.

=*=

By the time Bansai returned from the shower, Takasugi was in bed again, already half asleep. Bansai lifted the covers, climbed in next to Takasugi and allowed him to rest his head on Bansai's shoulder before asking his question.

"How were your classes today? Did anything interesting happen?"

Takasugi buried his nose in Bansai's neck and a muffled mumble came out. "Professor Yoshida is _brilliant_." He raised his head to look at Bansai. "I wish you could hear some of the stuff he says. I feel if I tried to repeat it, it would sound so fake."

"That sounds reasonable. A recording is never as good as the live performance."

Takasugi rested his head on his elbow. "I think I want to do it. Investigative journalism. Professor Yoshida thinks it would suit me."

Bansai looked up at Takasugi. "I can see it. You're a good writer. You're persistent. Obstinate. Single-minded. Remember when you told me you feel as if there's a beast inside of you just waiting to sink its teeth into something?" He lifted his hand to move a stray hair out of Takasugi's frowning face. "Let it be a corrupt politician's neck."

Takasugi's frown turned into a wicked little smile as he bent down to kiss Bansai.

Takasugi didn't know how his life would look like if he had never met his friends, or his homeroom teacher, or professor Yoshida. But he did know that for the first time in his life he felt positive about the future. And that wasn't so bad.


End file.
